Sid Roth

SID: Hello. Sid Roth here with Peggy Joyce Ruth, and Pat and Dell Hicks had what is called a Thanksgiving miracle. Why? Because it happened on Thanksgiving. There was no hope because Dell went down in a plane in the Atlantic. The water is freezing. There’s sharks swimming around. He totally passes out. Everyone gave up on him, but he didn’t give up. He knew the promises of Psalm 91. And his wife didn’t give up. Even though they tried to get her to give up, she knew the promises of Psalm 91. And as you witness this Thanksgiving miracle I believe God has many, many more miracles for you in Psalm 91. Let’s take a look.

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Dell Hicks: I left the Bahamas on Tuesday on a twin engine airplane. I was on my way to Fort Lauderdale to attend a friend’s funeral right before Thanksgiving. I was on the airplane with a deep sea diver, attorney and his wife, and the pilot, and the dog.

Narrator: Neither Dell Hicks nor the four other people on the plane that day have any idea what was about to happen next.

Dell Hicks: I looked out the window and I seen one engine go out and I noticed that the pilot was very concerned.

Narrator: The pilot realized the trouble they were in. He called for the passengers to help by throwing some of the non-essential things off the plane to lighten the load. Then the unthinkable happened. At five p.m. the second engine went down. They were 20 miles from land as the plane began to plunge into the frigid Atlantic Ocean.

Pilot: Everybody hang on. Brace yourself. We’re going down.

Dell Hicks: When the second engine went out there was so much confusion on the plane that the pilot forgot to put out a May Day signal.

Pilot: Brace yourselves.

Narrator: It was a miracle that the plane didn’t break into pieces. Instead, the pilot was able to glide it down on top of the ocean surface as if landing on solid ground. Miraculously the ocean had suddenly become extremely smooth and calm.

Pat Hicks: We were waiting at the airport for Dell to come in and the plane didn’t come in. The time went on by and it was that night, the next thing we knew it was Wednesday, and the next thing we knew it was Thursday morning. It had been about a total of 40 hours. We had not had the first word from anybody about what had happened to the airplane.

Narrator: The news media reported that this was one of the largest search operations in the history of that region. Yet night after night there was no sign of the plane or any survivors.

Dell Hicks: The plane went down about 25 miles from Bimini and the five us were very cold in the salty water.

Narrator: One of the passengers was an expert deep sea diver who for the first time ever brought his swim gear with him on his return to the states. He was able to dive into the water and find the airplane. He returned to the surface with his wetsuit and other diving gear. He also brought back some life vests.

Dell Hicks: I did not have time to be afraid. I was only trying to survive.

Pat Hicks: It was a miracle Dell didn’t freeze to death in those waters. It was an unusually cold time and the weather was in the 50s. The water temperatures were in the 60s, I believe. One of the news anchors there in Miami happened to be a professional diver, put on his wetsuit, went down to the bay and they showed it on the news that he was coming out of the water. He told the news media he could not stand that water even with his wetsuit on. And this is what they were all enduring out there in the water for those hours.

Dell Hicks: I think what really gave me hope was that my wife and I had been studying Psalm 91, and God said He would give his angels to charge over me, and He did.

Narrator: The attorney gave up and dived the following morning after the crash. They held on to his body, hoping to give him a decent burial once they were rescued. Then a 10-foot tidal shark smelled the body and began to close in on them.

Dell Hicks: We released the body and thank God the shark did not attack us. The water was so cold that my one leg had cramped and I couldn’t use it, and I would just throw up my hand and praise God for His help.

Narrator: Later that afternoon, the attorney’s wife died. Dell passed out and remained unconscious.

Pat Hicks: That night I finally laid down and went to sleep. But just after I dozed off I heard in my spirit to get up and confess the Lord of God over Dell. I started confessing, “Yes Lord, I confess Dell Hicks is rescued safe and sound. With my heart I believe Dell is rescued safe and sound.” And then I called my pastor and his wife answered the phone, and I said, “Can’t you feel it? Can’t you feel that whatever has happened to Dell is over.” I said, “It’s over.” And I didn’t know it, but she turned to her husband and she said, “Pat’s lost it. We’d better get over there.” [laugh]

Narrator: Danny, the diver, told the pilot to stay with Dell. Danny began to swim back to shore to get help. He was swimming from nine o’clock that evening to about eight o’clock the next morning. It was a miracle that he finally reached the shore and got help. The Coast Guard sent out by helicopter on a search for the pilot and Dell, based on the information given by Danny, the diver.

Dell Hicks: I was unconscious and I got separated from the pilot and when the Coast Guard flew over me they thought I was dead.

Narrator: The Coast Guard’s policy is that if a person is dead they continue to search for the living. One of the men of the Coast Guard looked down at the apparently lifeless body of Dell. Knowing that they would have to pass over him and try to find the pilot, the guardsman said:

Coast Guardsman: Lord, if he’s alive, let him move something.

Narrator: A miracle happened. On queue, Dell’s arm suddenly lifted up for the Coast Guard to see.

Pat Hicks: I believe it was an angel that lifted Dell’s arm. It just had to be an angel.

Narrator: After lifting Dell to safety the Coast Guard found the pilot alive, too.

Pat Hicks: We know that God did a miracle for us in this circumstance surrounding this airplane crash. His word is true and we have really studied Psalm 91 for a long number of years. We’ve depended on the verses, especially the verses that say, “He’s given his angels charge over us to keep us in all of our ways.” He says in the last three verses that, “Because you’ve set your love upon me. Therefore when you call upon me, I’ll hear you, I’ll answer you and deliver you, and with long life will I satisfy you.” His word is true. It’s always true. We lived it then and we live in it now. We thank God so much for His love. Amen.

Dell Hicks: Amen.

Pat Hicks: Amen.